Fashion month continues to march on, showing off the variety of trends for next fall and winter. Last week, London fashion week took place and although there was quite a bit of trend overlap with the New York shows such as fur, parkas, and funky hats, there were some new introductions thrown into the mix including plaids, engineered fabrics, and dalmatian prints. London is showing us a bright and innovative fall/winter for the 2011/2012 season; let’s take a closer look at some of the collections!
Burberry Prorsum
Leave it to no other than Burberry to create exceptional outerwear. This season, designer Christopher Bailey kept the collection heavily focused on the outerwear with a very distinct 60’s vibe throughout the whole collection. The definite mod feel was seen in the wide sleeves, flared pants, tweed and herringbone fabrics, and drop-waist dresses. The collection began with very mod-like silhouettes and as the show progressed, evolved into more neutral and tailored versions. The color palate of the show was monochromatic shades of bright orange, blue, red, yellow, and purple as well as tartan plaids, and winter whites. Quite surprising, dare I say distracting, were the dalmatian printed fur hats that adorned some of the models heads. If one thing is for sure, Burberry set out to keep us warm next fall and winter with the outstanding show of outerwear.
Christopher Kane
Kane, always innovative and daring, walks a fine line between fashion and art. This season, he showed a very artistic display of pieces, yet they were all very wearable with the use of classic cuts and shapes. The inspiration for this collection was the toxic liquid found in lava lamps. This could clearly be seen in the exhilarating trim and pockets of dresses and separates. The trims were swiveling mixes of blue-green, pink-orange, and pink-yellow which were created by a mix of encapsulated vegetable oil and glycerin. The dynamic trims infected black shift dresses, taking them to a whole new level. This collection was quite funky, but still sexy with deep plunging necklines, sensual sheer garments, flirty bare midriffs, and bold thigh-high slits. With this collection, Kane injects art into our fall and winter wardrobe, and it sure is exciting!
Jonathan Saunders Â
Strict sophistication sums up this season’s collection by Jonathan Saunders. Very wearable pieces of pencil skirts, feminine blouses, clinched waists, and sheath dresses dominated the runway. Saunders collection started out strict and linear with solid shades of navy, black, burgundy, and green but then began to evolve into colorful abstract floral and geometric prints that crawled effortlessly over the clean lines of the garments. The use of unexpected color combinations such as ultramarine blue and poppy red, olive green and black created a sensational display that further sharpens our appetite for color for the upcoming fall and winter season!
Matthew Williamson
This season, Matthew Williamson explains that his inspiration came from Russian avant garde artist Francisco Infante-Arana who is known for his pictures of mirrored sculptures set against various landscapes. The inspiration works with Williamson’s attraction to prints, clashing colors, and mixing of textures. The collection combined the new inspiration with Williamson’s bohemian reputation to create a soft boho-style that was amped up with leather accents.  It showed a variety of pieces to keep out the cold such as fur coats and vests, leather jackets, chunky knit sweaters, and oversized coats. The beautiful evening looks were finished with sequins, ostrich feathers, and intricate beading. A signature Williamson look of a long bohemian gown in geometric print using bold colors and finished with a high slit closed the show. Williamson shows us that you can adapt your boho-style to suit the daunting elements of fall and winter.Â
Check out http://www.style.com/ for complete coverage of London Fashion Week!